Showing posts with label Dianne Ascroft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dianne Ascroft. Show all posts

Friday, December 19, 2025

One Gold Ring (Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries) by Dianne Ascroft ~ Cozy Mystery Novella

 

One Gold Ring (Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries) by Dianne Ascroft

About One Gold Ring:

 

One Gold Ring (Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery Novella related to the main Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries Series

Setting - Fenwater – a fictional small town in rural Canada

Independently Published (November 1, 2025)

Paperback Print length ‏ : ‎ 104 pages

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8272391599

Digital Print length ‏ : ‎ 102 pages

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FYX6KXGD

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A busy shopping street, a cozy coffee klatch, a missing ring: Marge Kirkwood has no desire for anyone to gift five gold rings to her. She just needs to find one elegant gold ring sparkling with dainty diamonds and rubies: the one that was stolen due to her carelessness. When Marge Kirkwood meets her friend Bruce Murray at the Honey Pot diner to reassure him about his choice of an engagement ring for her best friend Lois Stone, she couldn’t be happier for the couple. But a few moments of her inattention could scupper Bruce’s plans for a romantic Christmas proposal. A cunning thief seizes the opportunity Marge’s lapse affords to snatch Bruce’s family heirloom. Soon afterwards Lois arrives and joins Marge and Bruce in the search for the ring. Three heads may be better than one or two but Lois can’t find out that it’s her engagement ring they are hunting for. And so the week before Christmas begins with dashing through the snow without a sleigh, tangy gingerbread muffins and cinnamon scented apple cider, clever calico cats, slippery snow-sheathed sidewalks, glittering gems set in gold, hazardous high-heeled boots, rushing thieves and bustling Christmas shoppers set against a cheerful holiday clad shopping street, sultry Christmas songs serenading shoppers in the market, the sweet scent of carnations, roses and baby’s breath bouquets in the florist’s window and a mantlepiece twinkling with shiny baubles and lights woven through holly in a comfy century cottage.

About Dianne Ascroft:

Dianne Ascroft is a Canadian who has settled in rural Northern Ireland. She and her husband share their small farm with some elusive wild creatures. She is currently writing the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series. She believes that part of the enjoyment of reading a cozy mystery is losing oneself in a pleasing setting so she fictionalized a small town she knew and the first novel in the Century Cottage Cozy Mystery series, and the town of Fenwater evolved from there. She wanted to create a place that beckons readers to step in and stay a while, and characters that readers would remember. Cozy mysteries allow her to explore the characters and the place, as well as the mystery at the heart of the story. Writing stories set in her homeland, Canada, has also been a nostalgic journey for her and she enjoys every minute of it.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.dianneascroft.com

Purchase Links:



TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

December 12 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
December 15 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 17 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
December 18 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 19 – Sarandipity's – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 19 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 20 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW
December 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 21 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
December 21 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

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Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Feature & #Giveaway ~ The Heritage Heist (Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries) by Dianne Ascroft @DianneAscroft #CozyMystery

 

The Heritage Heist (Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries) by Dianne Ascroft

 

The Heritage Heist 

Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, Book 2

Cozy Mystery 

Publisher: Independently Published 

Publish Date: December 15, 2020

Paperback: 278 pages 

ISBN-13: 979-8581502389

Digital ASIN: B08QMHW6DD

About The Heritage Heist

A fall fair, a cornered craftsman, an heirloom heist. When an antique quilt that is a cherished part of Fenwater’s past disappears from the market before her town’s fall fair, it’s up to Lois to resolve the quilt quandary.

Middle-aged widow Lois is enjoying her second season in her new town and her century house, away from the dangers of big city life in Toronto. She can’t wait to experience her first old-fashioned fall fair, complete with hot apple cider. But when the local market is burgled, her enthusiasm for the upcoming festival plummets. During the break-in one of the security guards is badly injured and an antique quilt, on loan from the museum, vanishes. Her friend, Bruce, designed and built the display case and has one of only two keys to secure it. That makes him a prime suspect in the theft. Lois won’t let Bruce’s reputation, nor the trust his customers have in the bespoke furniture maker, be damaged by the allegation. She’s determined to piece the clues together to find the quilt, clear Bruce’s name and save a piece of Fenwater’s history.

And so begins a week of deepening friendships, hot apple cider, calico cats, backseat shenanigans, hazy housemates, and few puzzle pieces to work with, set against the backdrop of a rustic market building amidst stately stone architecture, the crackle of flames in the hearth, a blaze of colour on leafy residential streets and the scintillating scent of cinnamon.

The Century Cottage Cozy Mystery series is set in rural Ontario, Canada during the early 1980s.

A tale for fans of Cindy Bell, Leighann Dobbs, Dianne Harman and Kathi Daley.  

About Dianne Ascroft:

Dianne Ascroft writes the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, set in rural Canada, and The Yankee Years historical sagas, set in WWII Northern Ireland. She has a passion for Ireland and Canada, past and present. An ex-pat Canadian, Dianne lives on a small farm with her husband and an assortment of strong-willed animals.

Her previous fiction works include An Unbidden Visitor (a tale inspired by Fermanagh’s famous Coonian ghost); Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Collection of Short Stories (contemporary tales), and an historical novel, Hitler and Mars Bars, which explores Operation Shamrock, a little known Irish Red Cross humanitarian endeavour.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.dianneascroft.com
Twitter: @DianneAscroft

Purchase Links: 

US: Amazon
For other countries: https://books2read.com/u/4XLYBN

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

February 10 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
February 10 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog - SPOTLIGHT
February 11 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 11 – Novels Alive – SPOTLIGHT
February 12 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
February 13 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
February 14 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW
February 15 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
February 15 – Kaisy Daisy's Corner - SPOTLIGHT
February 16 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST
February 16 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
February 17 – Brooke Blogs -SPOTLIGHT
February 18 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
February 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 19 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
February 19 – Here's How It Happened – GUEST POST
February 20 – Literary Gold – REVIEW
February 21 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
February 21 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
February 22 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 22 – My Journey Back – RECIPE
February 23 – Diane Reviews Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST



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Monday, July 15, 2019

Book Feature, #Review, & #Giveaway ~ Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries by Dianne Ascroft ~ @DianneAscroft #CozyMystery


Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries by Dianne Ascroft

 

Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries Prequel Novella 
Independently Published 
April 28, 2019
Paperback: 126 pages 
ISBN-10: 1096163373 ISBN-13: 978-1096163374 
Digital ASIN: B07R4GQWQN


About the Book:

Out of Options is a prequel novella to the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series, and introduces Lois Stone and her companions, Raggs and Ribbons, a pair of perceptive calico cats.

A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone’s friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois’s curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn’t keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend?

Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the park at the end of their street. But her quiet existence is rocked when her friend and fellow local historical society researcher, Beth, arranges to meet her to reveal an exciting and shocking discovery she has made about the history of prohibition in West Toronto Junction, the last dry area in Toronto, and then goes missing before she can share her secret with Lois. There isn’t any proof that Beth is missing so the police won’t actively search for her. Only Lois and Beth’s niece Amy are convinced that Beth’s disappearance is very out of character, and they are worried about her. Where has Beth gone? Is she in danger? And, if she is, who might want to harm her and why? Lois knows she must find the answers to these questions fast if she wants to help and protect her friend.

And so begins a weekend of skulking in the park, apple and cinnamon pancakes, familiar faces staring out of old newspapers, calico cats, shadows on the windowpane, and more than one person who might want Beth to disappear from the quiet, leafy streets of the historic and staunchly dry West Toronto Junction neighbourhood.

Read My Review Here:


About the Author:


Dianne Ascroft is a Torontonian who has settled in rural Northern Ireland. She and her husband live on a small farm with an assortment of strong-willed animals.

She is currently writing the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series. Out of Options is a prequel to the series.

Her previous fiction works include The Yankee Years series of novels and short reads, set in Northern Ireland during the Second World War; An Unbidden Visitor (a tale inspired by Fermanagh’s famous Coonian ghost); Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Collection of Short Stories (contemporary tales), and an historical novel, Hitler and Mars Bars, which explores Operation Shamrock, a little known Irish Red Cross humanitarian endeavour.

Dianne writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her articles and short stories have been printed in Canadian and Irish magazines and newspapers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys walks in the countryside, evenings in front of her open fireplace and folk and traditional music.

Author Links:

Website: http://http://www.dianneascroft.com 
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DianneAscroftwriter 
Twitter: @DianneAscroft 

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

July 8 – I'm All About Books – GUEST POST 
July 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
July 10 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT 
July 10 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW 
July 11 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST 
July 12 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW 
July 12 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
July 13 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW 
July 14 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW 
July 15 – Sapphyria’s Books – REVIEW 
July 15 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST 
July 16 – Here's How It Happened – REVIEW 
July 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
July 17 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT 
July 18 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW 
July 19 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW 
July 19 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
July 20 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW 
July 21 – Literary Gold – REVIEW 

 

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Book #Review ~ Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mystery by Dianne Ascroft ~ @DianneAscroft #CozyMystery

Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mystery by Dianne Ascroft

 

Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries Prequel Novella 
Independently Published 
April 28, 2019
Paperback: 126 pages 
ISBN-10: 1096163373 ISBN-13: 978-1096163374 
Digital ASIN: B07R4GQWQN

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo


About the Book:

Out of Options is a prequel novella to the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series, and introduces Lois Stone and her companions, Raggs and Ribbons, a pair of perceptive calico cats.

A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone’s friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois’s curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn’t keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend?

Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the park at the end of their street. But her quiet existence is rocked when her friend and fellow local historical society researcher, Beth, arranges to meet her to reveal an exciting and shocking discovery she has made about the history of prohibition in West Toronto Junction, the last dry area in Toronto, and then goes missing before she can share her secret with Lois. There isn’t any proof that Beth is missing so the police won’t actively search for her. Only Lois and Beth’s niece Amy are convinced that Beth’s disappearance is very out of character, and they are worried about her. Where has Beth gone? Is she in danger? And, if she is, who might want to harm her and why? Lois knows she must find the answers to these questions fast if she wants to help and protect her friend.

And so begins a weekend of skulking in the park, apple and cinnamon pancakes, familiar faces staring out of old newspapers, calico cats, shadows on the windowpane, and more than one person who might want Beth to disappear from the quiet, leafy streets of the historic and staunchly dry West Toronto Junction neighbourhood.

My Review:

Out of Options follows the life of Lois Stone, a widow still trying to adjust to her new norm. Her mind always strays to her husband and his unsolved mugging that led to his death but she's determined to overcome her fears of the park where he died and her overall fear of strangers. She's part of the local historical society and it helps to keep her busy. When her fellow historian, Beth, misses their lunch date and doesn't respond to phone calls, Lois becomes worried. It's not like Beth to ditch her plans and when Lois learns of several other plans Beth either cancelled or didn't show up for, she knows there's a problem.

Lois goes out of her way, and stretches the bounds of her fears, to figure out what happened to Beth. Beth doesn't have enemies but she did tell Lois she has something exciting to share with her about the a priest and prohibition. She went missing shortly after telling Lois that tidbit. Out of Options is a quick read with interesting characters and creative mystery. I did have the mystery figured out early on but I wasn't sure of the reason why. I enjoyed the path taken to the end of the mystery.

Out of Options is a good start to Dianne Ascroft's Centry Cottage Cozy Mystery series. The novella also contains a short story about the mugging and death of Lois' husband, as well. This story sets up the reasons behind Lois' fears.

My Rating:


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